The Coconut Line is bringing immediate attention to Generosity.com for not releasing, weeks after requested, $22,401 fundraised through their website, to support hurricane relief efforts for the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to fundraisers Tim Root and Lissa Ress. They are heart-broken they lost their home, and can’t yet give the money they raised to help others still in dire need.

Root and Ress, both U.S. Virgin Islands’ residents, were victims of Hurricane Irma. They along with their twodogs, were assisted and evacuated off-island by a non-profit organization, Island Dog Rescue. The organization has evacuated hundreds of dogs and cats from hurricane aftermath in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and their incredible efforts have been reported on People.com, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, NY Daily News, and other media outlets, including Europe.

To show their gratitude, Root and Ress, created a fundraiser on Generosity.com for Island Dog Rescue, which quickly raised $22,401. They closed the fundraiser on September 12th, and expected to have the funds be transferred to Island Dog Rescue within 10 business days, as the company states on their website. As of October 22nd, the money has not been released, and Island Dog Rescue does not have it. Numerous back and forth messages and communication between Ress and Generosity.com for weeks, have resulted in no release of funds.

“It’s just been so heart-breaking, and you know, traumatic. We reached out to our friends, our family, our loved ones, and asked them for help, and to help us help an organization get us through a difficult time. Helped us and our animals get to a safe place. And to see that their money isn’t going anywhere, it hasn’t even gotten to us yet, and that it’s not helping the cause that it was meant to help, has been heart-breaking. We don’t know where to go from here. We don’t know how to make the situation right,” said Tim Root, who emphasizes how they are all worried that as each day passes, countless dogs and cats are suffering, and are waiting to be rescued.

Root, Ress, and Island Dog Rescue are available for interviews, in hopes of raising awareness of these challenges, and most importantly, they want to acquire from Generosity.com the $22,401 raised, and in hopes that full rescue efforts can continue. They feel this delay is a travesty, and are speaking out to help others who may run into future problems like this with Generosity.com. Every day is a matter of life and death—And they want no one else, people or pets, to suffer too.

For help with press coverage, (contact info of Tim Root, Lissa Ress, and Island Dog Rescue) please email Allison@thecoconutline.com or send a message to The Coconut Line facebook page.